The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta provides an outside update on the Dylan Larkin situation:
With Shawn Horcoff steering the ship in Detroit, at least for the immediate future as the club’s Interim General Manager, the Red Wings hoped that move would reignite trade discussions involving former captain Dylan Larkin.
Larkin, 30, is in the fourth season of an eight-year contract that comes with an $8.7 million average annual value (AAV) and a full no-movement clause, something the veteran centre has used to dictate where he is willing to go to after requesting a trade in June.
At the time of the request, Larkin’s camp informed then-GM Steve Yzerman that he wanted out and would waive his NMC for Florida, Minnesota and Vegas. After multiple failed attempts to find a trade they deemed acceptable, Larkin added Dallas to the mix. Still, zip.
During the week, I reported on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio that Larkin’s list also included Tampa Bay, an addition made at some point over the off-season, bring the total to five clubs. On Friday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that Larkin’s list is now “somewhere around eight” teams, with Colorado and Washington also in the mix.
Larkin, whose mindset has not changed, understands this may take longer than he originally wanted. Even with Horcoff now at the helm, and capable to making all hockey-related decisions, a move may not occur until midway through the season.
Pagnotta opens up the possibility that Larkin may end up with a team not on his list, and the Montreal Canadiens are one of those teams–mostly because their press corps has been drumming up the, “Larkin would be the perfect fit” storyline for about two weeks now, mostly in the French-language media:
The Red Wings have been adamant that they do not want a futures-driven package for Larkin. They may, when all is said and done, accept that type of deal, but their preference – when Yzerman was in charge and now – is to acquire a package that helps this team take next steps and they continue to work towards that goal.
Another factor is the salary cap. Of the seven known teams on Larkin’s preferred list, only one has more than $1 million in current cap space. That means money in, money out, while still catering to Detroit’s overall asking price.
With at least one more team in the fold, Larkin may ultimately decide to expand his list further the longer this situation takes. And there remains plenty of “outside” interest, as teams like Montreal, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Carolina and San Jose are among the clubs that have poked around since June. There are others. And as per previous reports, offers pitched by teams both on and off his list, like Boston and Minnesota, have been rejected, so far.
